A government panel was formed Tuesday to recommend future policies regarding the Ainu after studying their current conditions and the discrimination they face, Chief Cabinet Secretary Nobutaka Machimura said.
The move followed the unanimous landmark resolution adopted last month by both Diet chambers to recognize the Ainu as Japan's indigenous people.
In creating the panel, the government included Tadashi Kato, chairman of the Ainu Association of Hokkaido, who has been active in pursuing the rights of the ethnic minority.